


3 Times A Beautiful Dreamer

by OvyyPvcure



Category: Senyuu.
Genre: M/M, The Entire Cast is too queer for this nonsense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-13 07:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4513011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OvyyPvcure/pseuds/OvyyPvcure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alba forgets the value of sleep in trying to save the world; lucky for him he's got friends to drag him to bed. Friends he stares at while they sleep.  What a creep. Based loosely on the OTP prompt: Person A has woken up in the morning and Person B is sleeping next to them. Person A thinks about how wonderful it is to be next to Person B. Then Person B rolls over in their sleep and their arm smacks Person A in the face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Albatross

Short fic(or it was supposed to be hahahahaha, the damn thing ran away on me) .  
\---  
Alba does not remember falling asleep. He remembers blood, and a surge of power, and cryptic parting words, and a warning. He remembers a dead boyadultdemonperson lying at his feet. He remembers the seemingly endless font of energy he’d been using to not sleep; to study, to run away, to think of a way to save Elf’s mysterious friend, and the world, and their world.  
Alba does not remember passing out from lack of sleep. But he must have, because he feels the softness of a mattress beneath him, and his mind feels less muddy than it had before. He remembers the slightly woodsy scent, undercut by the smell of apple shampoo he’s inhaling apparently close to another person. No, not just any person his soldier, his friend, his…Ros.  
Brown eyes slowly open, cringing in the reintroduced sunlight, and was unsurprised to behold black unkempt hair, and matching clothes. Unsure of how conscious a decision any of it is Alba holds his breath, and just admires the man in front of him. His broad shoulders, and well-toned arms laid bare in his short sleeves. His rugged face, relaxed and illuminated in the soft light of dawn easing the faint lines of stress, and the more recent, more wondrous ones from laughter, and smiles. The faint slit of red hinting at his unusual, but occasionally gentle red eyes.  
Wait. Alba’s still rebooting brain, a bit….distracted, didn’t read the warning signal in time and he was suddenly introduced to the part of Ros’ anatomy Alba knew almost too intimately: his fist.  
“The heck was that!?” Demanded Alba from the floor.  
“That’s what I should be asking isn’t it you pervert; watching someone sleep?”  
“That-” Alba turned red with no defense, and thus decided to deflect. “Who dragged who into bed!?”  
“You dragged me; you were passed out in the middle of the hall, so I moved you to bed, but you clung like a little baby. Did you confuse me for your stupid bear Mr. Pervert.?”  
“Don’t make fun of Kumachi! I-I mean me! Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I was so desperate to save you from the voi-” The place between dimensions. Timelines. Where Elf’s friend might be. Elf, who had still be alive when he left, according to Ros. Elf, who he hadn’t actually seen die, maybe, just maybe he could still save the tiny tanned genius moron. Maybe sleep was good for him after all.  
With eyes alight Alba made for the door, he would need to find a stable way to the Sea of Time, to find someone who’s name he didn’t know, a way to view outside it in time. No, between dimensions; he needed to ensure Elf’s time was safe to after all.  
“Hey Hero.” Alba blinked, and turned back to face Ros already halfway out the door. He looked anxious, worried. “You were so slow just now, sure you shouldn’t get some more much-needed beauty rest? To at least pass for average?”  
Alba bit back the heated reply on his tongue by focusing on the caring undercurrent to Ros’ words. Instead he smiled slightly, and faced Ros full on. “Nope, I’ve got people to save, and if I need someone to sleep with there’s obviously you.” He successfully escaped before his own words caught up with him, and nearly combusted from embarrassment.


	2. Crealba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crea does his best to ensure Alba sleeps. Alba miscounts mental age and falls into a guilt spiral. Alternatively: The continuing adventures of Alba sharing a bed with handsome men and being sleep deprived and Very Gay.

It doesn’t get the point of blacking out the second time, but not because Alba is anymore willing to drag himself to bed, but because a certain someone spread his ‘bad habits’ around. Usually he’s reluctant to go to bed, but can be talked into it, but not tonight. Not tonight, he’s so close he can feel it, he can totally take one sleepless night without losing too much.  
“Alba-san, this would be your 4th day without sleep, and frankly it’s a little worrying you’ve lost all track of time. That’s really bad you know? What if you end up sleeping for a thousand years like me?”   
That couldn’t be right. Alba blinked, or maybe not, because one second his vision was filled with swimming numbers that were finally, mercifully, getting their act together, then his entire vision is filled with Crea’s concerned visage with his hands holding his head. Also, wow Rchimedes had done a real good job with that dye, the blue spiraled into the black so neatly, and with that new haircut it really accentuated how unfairly cute Crea actually was.  
Why was he blushing? Oh, please tell him he hadn’t said that out loud. That warm smile and nod suggested he had, crap. “I think Alba-kun’s cute to, but you’d look better without those bags under your eyes, so to bed!”  
Alba was not much surprised to learn he had little to no strength to resist Crea’s gentle pull as he hoisted him to his feet even if he had the mind to. Which he should, he was so close. The numbers were right there, in his head he had to get them down or he’d lose it all, and have to start over; he’d be fine, he just had to-.   
The world spun as Alba was turned to face away from his research. It was a testament to how tired he was that Alba could barely keep pace with Crea’s slow gentle pushes, stumbling out of the room he’d made his study in his house towards the nearby bedroom. “You know Alba-kun you really remind me of Uncle Rchimedes, how wrapped up in research you can get, and how stubborn.”  
The comparison speared Alba through the gut, and killed what little resistance he could bring to bear. Then time skipped, and his vest and belts were gone as Crea gently finished whatever oddly quiet nonsense he’d been spewing. “…too sweet, and focused on others after all.” Oh, maybe he’d been reassuring him after that last comment. Not nonsense; sorry Crea.   
“Hm? ‘Bout what?” In the time it took Alba to form that coherent thought, he had been set on his bed, and Crea had stooped down to help him take off his boots looking up at Alba with wide, bright blue eyes, Such a nice kid. Which he was, regardless of what his physical form suggested. There had to be a way to fix that to.   
A new body, or a way to regress Crea’s body back to his previous self, something to let Crea actually live those missing years, and adjust properly. He was delving into Time magic anyway, if he could just see what he looked like he could- New calculations sprang to Alba’s mind, new ideas, theories, and workarounds. He could totally-  
Get pushed onto the bed and have Crea collapse on him. Ow. “Hehe, sorry Alba-kun but you were mumbling complex numbers, and stuff, so I thought if I left you wouldn’t even sleep.” A mind to mouth filter would be great. Of course the best way to get that would be to sleep, but that actually seems quite far away with the numbers swirling in his brain. So many possibilities, he would have to go through and asses their viability one by one-.  
“Really? That’s amazing.” Numbers temporarily banished Alba focused on Crea’s face near his, hands gently carding through his brown hair. “I couldn’t do that, even if I tried I bet.”  
“Of course you could, Ros would be better than either of us though.”  
“True, Shi-tan probably wouldn’t even need to check, but that’s why he’s no good you know?” Alba could only blink in confusion the sheer ‘what’ numbing his brain further, lulling him further as Crea rambled on. “Shi-tan’s a total genius, so he can say ‘that’s impossible’ without ever really thinking about it too hard. He’s amazing ‘cause he can do everything great, but it was Alba-kun who saved us, exactly ‘cause you can’t do that.”  
Oh dear, Crea was making sense, he was clearly so tired he’d fallen into an advance state of delirium. Alba really hoped he kept that thought internal. Crea kept talking even as pulled Alba slightly closer, so he probably had. “Shi-tan knows his limits, so when he decides he can’t do something, he moves on without trying again, so he gives up too easy, Alba-kun doesn’t, which lets him save people his way, but means we need to take super good care of him…”  
Crea was definitely still talking, but it all became jumbled nonsense as Alba’s eyes closed and sleep finally took him.   
—  
Alba was awoken when he tumbled out of bed headfirst onto the floor. He rose groaning, and looked out the window. The sun was fairly high, maybe about one? Yawning he considered his options for food. Make something himself? No. He could just pop over to the castle, and pick up leftovers from their last meal. Yes that sounded good. He would need to pick some up for Crea to.  
Speaking of, Alba turned to find Crea sprawled out, arms and legs taking up the majority of the bed. Which would be why he, Alba, had fallen out: because Crea’s wild night sprawling had kicked him out.   
Even without the state of delirium brought on by lack of sleep Alba still found Crea exceptionally cute. Blue hair bled into black in complex spirals at the tips, the barest hint of the black at the back present in a wave curling around the nape of his neck. Unlike Ros Crea’s hand, and skin retained a certain smoothness, and glowed under the light pouring in from the window his shirt hitched up from-  
‘…pervert; watching people sleep.’  
Red faced Alba quickly pulled the covers over Crea to allow him to sleep a little longer. Not peacefully of course, the quiet from last night had been a fluke obviously if the loud snoring of now was any indication. For now he would go fetch food; lots of good food where he could put his head back on straight. Admiring Ros’ objective handsomeness was one thing; Crea was, like, 14 tops! No matter how nice he was, or how cute, or how physically old, his mentality, his experience, was what counted.  
Just before teleporting out an unfortunate thought popped into Alba’s head: ‘who else could be staring at Crea, and did Crea understand why he would be getting that attention? Could he trust Ros to explain? ….No definitely not. Oh. That would not be fun.


	3. ElfAlba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alba isn't the only one who can fall asleep in weird places.

Mercifully Alba keeps himself out of the beds, and arms, of strange, or rather really really familiar, men until he’s found Alf, and saved Elf. It still left the daunting challenge of affecting change across dimensions, but he had gained two rather eager assistants.  
Well, after they convinced Alf to stop playing bodyguard for Cecily full time. And after they convinced Elf that, no Alf was not going to disappear if he let go of him for longer than 10 seconds. That took awhile. But, now Alba had two eager helpers, even if one of them occasionally ‘stepped out’, and didn’t come back all day. Alf was just out enjoying a world he’s missed so much of. Like Crea. Yeah. He definitely wasn’t out hitting on a grown woman with two children.  
Elf had no such delusions and fell off his chair laughing when Alba shared his. Alba’s retort was undercut by accidentally, (Really!) toppling a stack of heavy books on the wiggling Elf.   
Miraculously, or perhaps just weirdly, when Alba dug him out, babbling apologies the shapeshifter was still laughing lightly tears of mirth in his eyes. When his chuckles subsided Elf looked up at Alba holding him by the shoulders with a small fond smile, black eyes lit with some undefinable something. “Alba-san sure has a lot of faith in people, huh? Letting Guilty Justice take care of Dezember’s group, Alf’s intentions, an’ me, it’s a shock ya haven’t got stabbed more than ya have.”   
“Hey! All those have worked out!”  
Elf waved him off as he stood up; “yep, yep, but one day you’re gonna be thankin’ jerks like me and Shion-kun for looking out for ya,”   
Alba frowned at those words, but less their content, and more their tone. There had been something there, like when they fought Alba could just get the sense of something more hiding behind Elf’s easy words and careless demeanor. If only Elf could just speak plainly about these things, they wouldn’t have even needed to fight. Maybe he could cut off something stupid by simply asking?  
“Well, enough relaxing, back to saving the World!” Like a switch had been flipped the tone was gone and Elf was all light bounce again. Literally as he practically skipped back to his overturned seat, setting it right and plunking down.   
“Elf, if something’s wrong, just tell me.”  
Elf turned to face him, smile in place, tone light. “I know I know, no more suicide plans, don’t worry Alba-san, I got things to live fer now. Promise. Oh, speaking of things to live for, the other you seemed real focused on research, or privacy since there’s no record of-” Elf had clearly decided the conversation as he immediately starting babbling about something completely different.  
So. Annoying. Elf was easily the most capricious, selfish person Alba had ever met. He could go on for hours about any little detail, or perfectly deflect the big questions leaving very little room to get in, and pry the truth loose. Which wasn’t to say Alba hadn’t, but whatever thing was between Elf, and Ros they were both equally tight-lipped.   
Giving up for now Alba took his seat with a pout. He would find out though; Ros and Elf were both extreme people who didn’t do things in half-measures even if they got hurt in the process. Leaving them to settle things between themselves was a terrible idea. But first theoretical cross-dimensional magics, a thankfully less complex problem than two geniuses fighting for no discernible reason.  
—  
Alba felt like very little time had passed when he yawned, but it was a good indicator that it’d been a good few days. He could, vaguely, recall Crea, and Alf coming with food a few times, so, yeah, probably days. Yawning Alba stretched back; without the worry of someone slowly wasting away, or screaming nightmares where he drowned in blood, he was free to take his time now, so no need to get desperate or put off sleep.   
Alba turned to tell Elf that it was probably best if they took a sleep break only to find the tanned boy-no, man, he’d been older than even Alba was now when he’d come back after all-only to find the other had already come to that conclusion. By falling asleep in his seat: head lolled against his chest, arms dangling at his sides, breathing light. The moonlight from the side window lightened one half of his form, even as it threw the other into darkness, contrasting and enhancing of the bags that had gathered beneath his closed eyes.   
The light shone off his hair creating patches of silver, that caused Alba’s breath to catch short. Then Elf slid slightly in his direction, his head landing on the brunette’s shoulder sleep undisturbed. Unconsciously Alba followed the movement down, and caught a flash of lighter skin before he pulled himself away embarrassed. He really needed to get this ‘staring at guys’ thing under control. It was probably the lack of sleep, so sleep was needed. For both of them.  
Luckily Elf had put himself in the perfect position to easily be scooped up into Alba’s arms, from there it was a simple as taking a step. The surroundings blurred for a moment, and Alba stood in his guest room with a slumbering Elf in his arms. Well ‘guest’ room with it’s piles of books, green sheets, and strategic but apparently random placement of furniture made it feel more like Elf’s room than anything. Which, to be fair, was because Elf was pretty much it’s full time occupant, almost a full 4 months after everything he could sleep by himself, and took the opportunity to basically move in with Alba.  
Or not, reflected Alba after laying Elf down and finding upon trying to step away that Elf had latched onto his vest in his sleep. Gently prying himself away made a small terrified sound eminent from the tanned(burned?) throat. Whelp, there was only one thing to do now: Alba knew nightmares, and Elf wouldn’t be the first guy he’d been caught alone with in bed if someone came to check on them.   
Learning Crea was mentally older than he thought? Wonderful. Ros’ stream of violence immediately following? Less so.  
Besides Elf was cute.   
Pausing only to give Elf’s searching a quick squeeze of reassurance Alba removed all he felt safe doing, and laid next to the still uneasily resting man. Alba’s plan had been to pull Elf’s back to his chest; Elf, as he so often did, had other thoughts. Thoughts that made his experience forcing his way into Alf’s bed obvious. First, and foremost, Alba had allowed himself to be closer to Elf than Alf would so when Elf turned towards the other presence on the bed, and reached out blindly, he reached too far. Second: Alba was taller than Alf so what would have reached Alf’s shoulders was closer to Alba ribs. All this added up to Elf’s incredibly bony elbows digging full force into Alba’s ribs even as Elf’s hands came back searching and finding purchase in his hair. Elf was not cute! Elf was never cute!   
Just barely restraining his screams, and rage Alba moved Elf’s hands down to his shoulders and straightened his arms. Elf was a very deep sleeper it seemed. Especially now that he had calmed down, obviously reassured by the presence of someone else. So reassured he had also tangled their legs together. Or maybe Alba had done that, it was getting hard to think straight. The last clear memory Alba had was wrapping an arm protectively around Elf’s waist and pulling him closer.


	4. Albatross-Redux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once more from the start.

Ros sighed advancing into Alba’s house. It was just his luck the idiot hero had chosen to make no obvious attempt at sleep on his unofficial day to check on him. Alba had insisted no such thing was necessary, but the frequency with which he, Crea, Ruki, and many others had found the boy passed out in various places suggested just how heavily Alba needed to be saved from himself. Ruki’s own horror stories during the year he’d been sealed and Alba had become ‘Red Fox’, was just the terrifying cherry on top. The selfish idiot was just too selfless to be left alone.   
Thusly he was not terribly surprised to find Alba collapsed over his research. Getting closer he glanced down at the half-scribbled math, theories, diagrams. For all he wasn’t a genius or prodigy with magic, Alba had a certain stick-to-itness that Ros found himself admiring despite himself. The patience, hope, and stubbornness to not accept anything less than his desired golden ending.  
Not, he reflected, without internal, and unnecessary pain to himself though as evidenced by the stains on the paper under Alba’s head. Not from drool, one of the few disgusting flaws Alba didn’t have, but from the tears that spilled from his closed eyes.   
What an idiot Alba was. Ros had heard the story of their first meeting, of how Elf must have had a good reason. How he had told as much to Ros himself: oblique references about a lost friend, a doomed world. Stuff he made sure Ros heard with no prompting. Even if it was true, Elf had clearly made his choice, surely anyone with his control would know what giving away their own mana would do to him in that state. Yet he had chosen to do so; he’d made sure Ros knew that to.  
Dying, or sacrificing yourself was completely unacceptable to Alba though, and seemed intent on punishing himself both awake, and asleep for “allowing” Elf to die. Telling Alba off, and talking him down were both nigh on impossible, the least they could do was make sure he survived his ridiculous quest to save someone who had never asked to be saved. Ruki had told him Alba had shown the same determination to save Ros himself. He didn’t like it. Alba ripping himself apart to save people like him, and Elf was just…wrong.  
Enough introspection. Ros carefully wiped the remaining moisture from Alba’s lashes, and gathered him up in his arms. A simple flick of his wrist restored the stained paper to rights, in the middle of some complicated equation to do something patently impossible. Which Alba would know, because Ros had taught him. Apparently Alba took Ros’ bragging about how his magic was ‘anything he wanted’ a little too much to heart. Or the limits of magic were in Alba’s way so he decided to find ways to break them into itty bitty little pieces. Probably both.   
This train of thought carried Ros the short distance between Alba’s study and room, where he gladly deposited the youth. He had then intended to leave, but Alba’s deceptively strong arms had wrapped around his neck pulling him down leaving him half off, half on the bed with it’s hard wooden edge digging into his hip. He really should just bash Alba good. But. Then the brunette would be awake, and likely to run off again. Teleportation would either bring Alba with, or awaken him by the disturbance.   
Ros growled lowly at being beaten in one move by a sleeping idiot, and then toed off his boots allowing himself to be pulled entirely onto the bed, one arm slung protectively around Alba’s waist. Then he looked down and got his first good look at Alba’s face.  
This was not, by any means, the first time Ros had watched his straight man sleep, but this was perhaps the first that caused him serious distress. He was used to seeing him sleeping with a stupid face: completely relaxed, body limp, and hair a frazzled mess. He’d seen him sleep after a full day where his consciousness simply gave out; head lolled in a way sure to amuse in the morning, body comically bent double over itself. When he’d been learning under Ros’ tutelage when he slept he twitched, and mumbled formulas and ideas for magic. Even his usual bad dreams had hilariously pathetic cries and involuntary leg movement. This was none of that. This was a pinched face with more tears threatening to come out, and labored breathing. There was mumbling, but they weren’t for kumachi or help; they were pleas to talk to him, to stop, to let him help, and names. His, and Elf’s.  
Oh.   
So Alba had noticed their similarities as well. Ros let out a faint almost adoring sigh, and splayed his hand against the hero’s back, before moving in to let their foreheads touch. “It’ll be fine, you’ll save them both, and all, I believe in you Hero.” This seemed to get through to the slumbering boy, if only a little as his face eased and his body uncurled slightly. Ros still wouldn’t risk waking Alba by leaving so he succumbed to the inevitable and closed his eyes letting sleep take him, content in his hero’s arms.   
—  
When Ros awoke it was a clarity most would envy, through even the small slit he opened he could see clear as day, Alba awake and staring. At him. A faint fond smile playing on his lips eyes doleful and bright. It was cute. But disgusting.   
Ros moved quick as a snake, and landed a solid punch on the brunette sending him flying off his own bed. “The heck was that!?” Alba demanded from the floor, his scream slightly muffled behind his hands Ros assumed.   
“That’s what I should be asking isn’t it you pervert; watching someone sleep?” This was more Ros liked it. Alba in pain, and screaming at him. Ahhh bliss.  
“That-” Alba began turning a wonderful scarlet; “who dragged who into bed!?”  
Oh, so that was his plan huh? “You dragged me; you were passed out in the middle of the hall, so I moved you to bed, but you cling like a little baby. Did you confuse me for your stupid bear Mr.Pervert?” The lie had come unbidden, without much thought, but Ros knew if Alba knew he’d been in the middle of an equation when he passed out he’d be impossible to corral.   
“Don’t make fun of Kumachi! I-I mean me!” Adorable. “Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I was so desperate to save you from the voi-” A sudden pause, and a frantic light came to Alba’s brown eyes. Oh dear. He had clearly thought of something new to try, So much for convincing him to sleep some more or even eat before diving back into theoretical magic.   
“Hey Hero.” But, he could try, should try, just a little harder to see if he could be a little better for the frantic moron. Maybe Alba had rubbed off on him. Scary thought. “You were so slow just now, sure you shouldn’t get more much-needed beauty rest. To at least pass for average?” There. He’d even been able to work in a shot at Alba in the process.   
Said boy visibly, and physically bit back whatever retort was sitting on his tongue turning to face Ros as the light in his eyes changed just a smidgen; almost mischievous. “Nope, I’ve got people to save, and if I need someone to sleep with there’s obviously you,”  
Alba was gone before Ros’ bewildered brain could fully process that comment. Damn his speed. Ros fell back on the bed, hands over his heated face, heart beating about 40 beats too fast, and head swimming with Not Good images.   
Still, Alba had said people hadn’t he? Seemed whatever idea had popped into his ridiculous reality-shattering brain had sparked an idea how to save Elf as well. That was progress.   
Maybe he could help? No, he wasn’t great at keeping moods high, and besides he’d offered at the start, and Alba himself insisted he stay with his newly reunited family, and Crea who still needed him. It was hard to argue with that logic. He could trust Alba to not kill himself in the short term. As long as he ate.   
Yeah. Food would be good. He’d make breakfast for them, and drag Alba up a broken, battered near-corpse if he refused to eat. That was a good plan. He would get to that…right after making use of those very not good images.


	5. CreAlba-Redux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not-so-secretly Crea was hoping for a cuddle fest really. Crea might be a bit too Pansexual for this.
> 
> (Watashi ni dekiru koto)

Crea has been standing here for quite awhile, just watching Alba work. He came to give him some food, a drink, and then just never left. It's familiar, this scene. The deep bags, the work ethic wiping away everything else. The lack of sleep. The desperation to save someone. Yes, this scene is very familiar to Crea. Not this time. 

Crea steps forward; "Alba-kun you should really go to bed now." 

Alba shakes his head, seems a bit disoriented from even that small motion. "No, I'm close now. I can do this. One day isn't going to hurt."

“Alba-san, this would be your 4th day without sleep, and frankly it’s a little worrying you’ve lost all track of time. That’s really bad you know? What if you end up sleeping for a thousand years like me?” 

There's a beat where Alba processes that, then his eyes close, and his head almost falls to his desk. Crea darts forward cradling the brunet's face between his hands turning him to face him. Slowly without obvious focus Alba's eyes open, takes in Crea; "Crea's really unfairly cute." Crea can feel his face heating up from Alba's sleepy warm voice complimenting him. "Not out loud I hope."

Crea feels the grin spreading across his face, at Alba's mumbled embarrassment., even as he nods just to tease the boy a bit. “I think Alba-kun’s cute to, but you’d look better without those bags under your eyes, so to bed!” So saying Crea gently pulls Alba to his feet by his gloved hands. There's not even any resistance despite Alba's protests. Still, he turns back to his papers mumbling broken protests. Will need to start over. So close. Need, need _I need to save them_. Not this time. 

Gently taking Alba by the shoulders he turns him away from the papers, and towards the door, and pushes, slightly, gently. The boy beneath his hands stumbles slightly and, keeps turning back. Crea remembers a similar situation, with a similar person, and how he failed to stop him. “You know Alba-kun you really remind me of Uncle Rchimedes, how wrapped up in research you can get, and how stubborn.”

Even Crea knows it's a low blow. Comparing the gentle hard-working Alba with the person who destroyed everything, and everyone he claimed to love. Who Alba came to love. The truth of it assuages Crea's guilt slightly, as he pushes his friend towards his room. It's not enough. When Alba simply stands swaying in the middle of his bedroom Crea takes it upon himself to remove his gloves, and then moves for his belts. He quietly reminds himself to tease Shi-tan about how he stripped Alba later. For now, though he needs to say something, Alba's been even quieter since they left his study. He begins quietly as he rises to take off the signature red vest. "You have a lot he doesn't though, you have me and Shi-tan, and Ruki-chan to look after you. And all the people at the castle, and you're super strong, mentally. You'll be just fine Alba-kun we'll take care of you right." This time. "Neither of you knows how to take care of yourselves, you're both just too sweet, and focused on others after all."

Alba seems to tune in a bit, as his brown eyes sharpen briefly. Very briefly, Crea even has time to sit Alba gently on his bed, and start taking off his boots before anything comes out of his mouth. "Sorry Crea."

"Hm? 'Bout what?" Not for taking care of him, Crea hopes. After everything Alba had done for him, and Shi-tan, there was nothing Crea wouldn't do for the handsome, wonderful, heroic boy in front of him. And him for them Crea knows, and can hear at the edge of his hearing as Alba begins wobbling upwards words, and numbers that barely register as such in Crea's brain spilling out at a rapid pace. He'll never get to sleep like this. Well, the first step to sleeping is laying in bed, so Crea rushes up and, pushes Alba back down. For good measure Crea falls flat on him, arms locking around his prey's shoulders. 

"Ow."

“Hehe, sorry Alba-kun but you were mumbling complex numbers, and stuff, so I thought if I left you wouldn’t even sleep." Crea kicks off his own boots and, gets comfortable next to the boy captured in his arms. Crea remembers times when Shion refused to sleep to, brain too revved up to accept that nap time was now. Petting him seemed to work well, and he was way more prickly than Alba.

"Need to write them down, asses, need to make sure they don't work one-by-one."

"Really? That's amazing." Crea quietly whispers an interruption, hand already working in Alba's hair. He remembers to shower, but not sleep? Alba is weird. Oops, better keep talking. "I couldn't do that, even if I tried I bet." 

"Of course you could, Ros would be better than either of us, though." So simple, like it's obvious that Crea could keep up, could do anything. But Shion is still so special to Alba. 

But. 

“True, Shi-tan probably wouldn’t even need to check, but that’s why he’s no good you know?” This, as much as anything else Crea has done or said shuts Alba up. A slow blink, as confusion shuts down his brain. “Shi-tan’s a total genius, so he can say ‘that’s impossible’ without ever really thinking about it too hard. He’s amazing ‘cause he can everything great, but it was Alba-kun who saved us, exactly ‘cause you can’t do that.” Crea was falling too deep, he was even starting to feel sleepy himself, as he pulled Alba against his chest, hand still working his hair, voice low, soft, and calming. “Shi-tan knows his limits, so when he decides he can’t do something, he moves on without trying again, so he gives up too easy, Alba-kun doesn’t, which lets him save people his way, but means we need to take super good care of him even when he's being stubborn and, running himself into the ground. Especially then. After all, we all..." with a glance down Crea confirms the even breathing, and closed eyes means Alba is asleep before speaking his exact mind. "I love the wonderful Alba-kun very much.”

Alba is fully asleep, no way he would wake up. No way. He's totally slack, his hands are limp and unmoving by Crea's chest. Crea could just leave. This time, with this wonderful person he loves Crea lets himself be selfish. Shion can have him back later. Tonight he wants this. Just this. Burying his head in Alba's hair Crea mutters one last praise for Alba's bathing habits before drifting off to sleep himself.


End file.
